The Court of Federal Claims recently reversed an agency’s default termination of a contractor that had experienced numerous performance issues and delays. The agency claimed that performance was “incurably behind schedule,” despite the contractor’s proposed recovery schedule.
The court held that the agency lacked a reasonable belief that the contract could not be timely completed.
Continue reading…Executive Order 13495 has had a bit of a rocky past. Originally issued by President Clinton, the Order has been rescinded and then replaced, depending on the President’s political persuasions. After being reinstated by President Obama in 2009, many assumed that President Trump would have promptly rescinded it again.
Three years into his administration, President Trump has now acted: on Halloween, he rescinded Executive Order 13495.
Continue reading…Hope everyone had a great Halloween yesterday! Around these parts, the thermometer got down to freezing last night. But I took the kids out for a quick trick-or-treat outing down the street. And we also had some fun painting pumpkins in the office.
Next week I’ll be in Warrensburg, MO on Wednesday for Congresswoman Hartzler’s Procurement Conference. We hope to see many of our SmallGovCon readers out there!
Amidst all the spooky fun, the government contracting news kept rolling in. This week, we highlight updates about supply chain cybersecurity, DOD modernizing software development, and the Pentagon announcing a big push to incorporate 5G technology.
Continue reading…In a slew of recent activity, H.R.4405, the Women’s Business Centers Improvements Act of 2019, sponsored by Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS) and Rep. Jim Hagedorn (R-MN), was one of many bills to pass the House of Representatives. Most notably, the bill doubles the available grant monies for each Women’s Business Center (“WBC”) and introduces an accreditation program for WBCs.
These components, if approved, will help WBCs better serve women-owned businesses across the nation. This post will also highlight some aspects of this already helpful resource.
Continue reading…In its report published last week, GAO both commends and criticizes SBA for its handling of tribally affiliated 8(a) business development firms—particularly Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) and ANC-owned businesses participating in the 8(a) program.
Continue reading…The Department of Labor annually increases the minimum wage for federal contractor employees in accordance with Executive Order 13658. It recently noticed, via the Federal Register, that the 2020 minimum wage for most of these employees will increase from $10.60 to $10.80. For tipped employees, the cash wage will increase from $7.40 to $7.55.
Continue reading…Last night marked the start of the college basketball season here in Lawrence, and I attended the exhibition game for our Jayhawks in historic Allen Fieldhouse. For you college basketball fans, the road to March Madness begins now.
For you government contracting fans, there’s also news in that world. This week, we bring you updates about security guidance for the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud, a reminder about FedBizOpps going away, and a House of Representatives panel looking into Native 8(a) contracting issues.
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